I’m genuinely curious, not being a jerk. I love Mexican food, I love Mexican American food, and I love Turkish food and all the central Asian food I’ve tried I enjoy.
But I can’t figure out what in the world you mean. Like which specific dishes are the same but with wheat?
Not entirely same, of course, but shawarma and burrito are imo similar templates that can be used with various fillings. You can have shawarma with beef or chicken, etc. You have some cheap local vegetables: where I am, it’s typical to see tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, maybe peppers, cabbage, or carrots. Of course, rice, guacamole and salsa are unlikely in a shawarma, but mayonnaise and sour cream can be used, the latter of which is afaiu encountered in burritos. And for myself, I’ve been making a fusion dish of shawarma with rice, chicken, and various local vegetables.
Likewise, foods using pita or leavened lavash, e.g. gyros, can be seen as templates similar to tacos.
Personally I’m surprised that lentils aren’t used more often in shawarma and similar foods, given Middle-Eastern liking for fava beans and chickpeas — although reportedly falafel can be found in shawarma in some regions. Then again, I’m pretty sure I’ve used sautéed peas or beans when making my mishmash burwarma.
Apparently the al pastor method of meat preparation is directly derived from doner kebab, having been brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants — although it uses pork instead of lamb or beef, since Christians didn’t have restrictions about it.
I also have the suspicion that there must be some overlap between the cuisine of Middle East (and possibly Central Asia) and that of South Caucasus, namely Georgia with their love for spices and hot foods. Which would then mean the existence of a dish in the spirit of shawarma, but hot and spicy. Haven’t encountered such a thing yet, but I’m guessing Armenian cuisine is the place to look, since they definitely use lavash flatbread for something.
I would love to try all these cuisines. I’ve had Afghan style goat with a bunch of mint and that is fantastic. Further west Hungarian paprikash is fantastic. Of course none of these countries could really have hot spicy food as we know it until the 16th century when the chili pepper made its way to the eastern hemisphere.
By the way, try Georgian ajika if you ever have a chance: it’s chili pepper mixed with a whole lot of other spices, and is great even in commercial varieties.
Eh, there are like five or so different kinds of ‘hot’, acting upon different tastebuds. Aside from peppercorn, i.e. black pepper, you’ve probably heard of Sichuan pepper, mustard, and horseradish (i.e. what is typically sold as wasabi). If you ever want to really clear your sinuses, get yourself some Russian mustard and chow down half a tablespoon of it, preferably on bread. I know for certain that it’s available in the US via some shady importing companies.
I have it in my ‘try sometime’ list to mix all the different kinds of hotness, and perhaps add mint since it’s felt by separate tastebuds that apparently still work through the numbness.
Also, the 16th century was a really long time ago, so the various countries had plenty of time to adapt. For myself, I’ve nearly choked on a slice of hot pepper in a Georgian salad — couldn’t spit it out in the celebratory setting, and chewing wasn’t an option, so had to swallow it whole.
Pro tip: Turkish and Central-Asian food like shawarma is basically Mexican food but with wheat.
Nice
I’m genuinely curious, not being a jerk. I love Mexican food, I love Mexican American food, and I love Turkish food and all the central Asian food I’ve tried I enjoy.
But I can’t figure out what in the world you mean. Like which specific dishes are the same but with wheat?
Not entirely same, of course, but shawarma and burrito are imo similar templates that can be used with various fillings. You can have shawarma with beef or chicken, etc. You have some cheap local vegetables: where I am, it’s typical to see tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, maybe peppers, cabbage, or carrots. Of course, rice, guacamole and salsa are unlikely in a shawarma, but mayonnaise and sour cream can be used, the latter of which is afaiu encountered in burritos. And for myself, I’ve been making a fusion dish of shawarma with rice, chicken, and various local vegetables.
Likewise, foods using pita or leavened lavash, e.g. gyros, can be seen as templates similar to tacos.
Personally I’m surprised that lentils aren’t used more often in shawarma and similar foods, given Middle-Eastern liking for fava beans and chickpeas — although reportedly falafel can be found in shawarma in some regions. Then again, I’m pretty sure I’ve used sautéed peas or beans when making my mishmash burwarma.
Apparently the al pastor method of meat preparation is directly derived from doner kebab, having been brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants — although it uses pork instead of lamb or beef, since Christians didn’t have restrictions about it.
For sure al pastor is from the area. Miss me with that pineapple though! Thanks
I also have the suspicion that there must be some overlap between the cuisine of Middle East (and possibly Central Asia) and that of South Caucasus, namely Georgia with their love for spices and hot foods. Which would then mean the existence of a dish in the spirit of shawarma, but hot and spicy. Haven’t encountered such a thing yet, but I’m guessing Armenian cuisine is the place to look, since they definitely use lavash flatbread for something.
I would love to try all these cuisines. I’ve had Afghan style goat with a bunch of mint and that is fantastic. Further west Hungarian paprikash is fantastic. Of course none of these countries could really have hot spicy food as we know it until the 16th century when the chili pepper made its way to the eastern hemisphere.
By the way, try Georgian ajika if you ever have a chance: it’s chili pepper mixed with a whole lot of other spices, and is great even in commercial varieties.
Eh, there are like five or so different kinds of ‘hot’, acting upon different tastebuds. Aside from peppercorn, i.e. black pepper, you’ve probably heard of Sichuan pepper, mustard, and horseradish (i.e. what is typically sold as wasabi). If you ever want to really clear your sinuses, get yourself some Russian mustard and chow down half a tablespoon of it, preferably on bread. I know for certain that it’s available in the US via some shady importing companies.
I have it in my ‘try sometime’ list to mix all the different kinds of hotness, and perhaps add mint since it’s felt by separate tastebuds that apparently still work through the numbness.
Also, the 16th century was a really long time ago, so the various countries had plenty of time to adapt. For myself, I’ve nearly choked on a slice of hot pepper in a Georgian salad — couldn’t spit it out in the celebratory setting, and chewing wasn’t an option, so had to swallow it whole.